Sheet metal container



LINUOO LI l-nhnvn F. J. o'BRlEN SHEET METAL CONTAINER Filed sept. 26. 1941 Nov. 14, 1944.

Patented Nov. 1 4, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oFF-.ICE

SHEET METAI CONTAINER Frank J. OBrien, Pelham, N. Y., assgnor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application september 2s, 1941, serial No. 412,512

" 1 claim.' (C1. 22o-67) z 'Iheinvention relates to new and useful improvements in sheet; metal containers wherein 4the-endfmembers are secured to the container body by rolling aflange on the can body and the projecting portion of the end .closure overlying the same into a. double seam.

vAn objectof-v the invention vis to provide a double seam 'whichishermetically sealed by the usualsealing compound, and wherein a ber gasket isdisposed within the double seam so as to separate the outer wall of the double seam from .the can body'ange to facilitate the severing of the doubleseam for releasing of the closureend from the can body.

lnthe. drawing-f Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a portion of a container embodying the improvements, showing the end closure assembled on the ,can body preliminary to the rolling of the end closure ange and body flange into a double seam;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the initial rolling of the end closure flange and body flange;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Figure '2, showing thedouble seam completed and also showing one position of a cutter which may be used for cutting the outer wall of the double seam to release the closure end from the container;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Figure 3, but showing a, slightly modied form of the invention,

and also showing the cutter positioned in full lines for cutting the wall of the double seam adjacent the upper side thereof, and in dotted lines showing the cutter positioned for cutting the 'Wall of the double seam at the lower side thereof, and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing a further modification of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. 5, but showing the further modied form of shaping of the ange on the body wall.

The invention is embodied in a sheet metal container which is flang'ed and the closure ends are secured thereto by double-seaming. Only the portion of the container is shown in the drawing which contains the improvements. The container includes a body I which may be of any desired construction, but is preferably cylindrical. The body is provided with a ange 2 Ato which an end closure 3 is secured by doubleseaming. Said end 'closure has a depression formed therein which is of the usual type and which provides a vertical wall 4 tting within Y the can body. The end closure 3 has a flange 5 extending outwardly over the body .ange 2, and said flange 5 is curled at the outer edge thereof as indicated at 6. This is a preliminary curl which assists in the forming of the doubleseam .joining the end closure to the body flange. The inner surface of the ange ofthe end closure is coated 'with a sealing compound which is usually employed in the forming of hermetically .sealed double seams. A ber gasket 1 is secured to the under face of the ange 5 of the closure` end-3.' As shown in Figures 1 to= 3, this ber gasket is annular in shape and extends Vfrom a point 8 adjacent the curl A6 tov a point 9 which is well inward from the end vIll of the flange 2. When the end closure ange, 5 and the body'flange 2 are rolled into a double seam, this ber gasketA 'I will extend along the outer surface of the lower portion of the body flange and around the end thereof to a slight extent as indicated in Figure 2. In the nished double seam, the ber gasket 'I will separate the outer wall II of the double seam from the ange 2 of the body wall. The sealing compound will extend as usual throughout the greater portion of the metal contacting surfaces of the double seam so as to hermetically seal the same. The ber gasket provides a cushion which greatly facilitates the cutting of the outer wall of the double seam so as to release the closure end from the can body.

This ber gasket does not interfere with the forming of a tightly rolled double seam which is hermetically sealed by the sealing compound. As shown in Figure 3, the closure end may be released'from the. body by means of a cutter I2 which is disposed so as to cut through the double seam wall along the line I3 which is at the under side of the double seam. This line of cutting is so disposed relative to the ange 2 that arated from the outer wall I I of the double seam.

When the ber gasket extends throughout the limits of the double seam, as shown in Figure 4', then the cutter I4 may be positioned so as to cut the outer wall II of the double seam along the line I5, and this will release the end closure 3 from the container. In this form of double seam, the cutter may be positioned as indicated in dotted lines, and sever the outer wall of the double seam at the lower side thereof. In fact, the cutter may be positioned anywhere along the double seam from that shown in full lines in this gure. to

that shown in dotted lines. When the cutter penetrates the metal, the ber gasket will serve as the cushioning means so as to enable the metal to be cut all the way through, that is, completely severed, sothat the closure end can be removed. In the form of the invention shown in Figure 4, the sealing compound'extends throughout the entire limits of the doublel seam and this enables a very tight double seam to be formed.

As shown in Figure 5, the outer edge portion of the flange 2 of the body wall is turned inward upon itself as indicated at Il. The fiber gasket separates the body flange from the outer wall of the double seam in the region of the folded back portion of the ange. This provides a. relatively wide space at the lower side of the double seam for the cutting of the metal when a cutter is positioned as indicated at .L8 in this figure.

In Fig. 6 of the drawing there is a slightly modified form of the invention. 'Ihe flange tube is bent backupon itself or` hemmed as indicated at I6.. In this form of the invention the paper insert 1 is'iirst applied to theunder face of the ange of the cover and then the coating material is applied. While the .coating-.is shown as rst applied in the other gures of the drawing, and then the paper insert applied to the coated surfacefit will be understoodv that in connection with any of thevforms illustrated the order of applying the coating and paper insert is unessential and either maybe firstv applied. The essential feature consists in the .use of rthe coatingsto provide a hermeticseal and the use of the paper insert properly located in the double seam-to facilitate cutting the outer wall of thedouble seam for releasing the closure.end.-

It is obvious that minor changes may be made in the details of construction, the dimensioning of the parts, and the arrangement thereof, without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A sheet metall container comprising a body portion having an outwardly extending iange at the end thereof, a'closure end having a depression therein providing a vertical wall fitting Within the can body and a portion extending over and rolled into a double seam with the flange of the can body, a sealing compound disposed within the double seam and providing a hermetic seal for said seam, a fiber gasket disposed within the double seam between the outer face of the body ange and the inner face of the outer wall of the double seam for separating the faces of the outerwall from the flange of the body and positioning the same to facilitate the cutting of the outer wall through the space provided by the ber gasket for releasing the closure end from the container body, said ange on the body portion being bent back upon itself prior to the rolling of the parts into the doublev seam, thereby to form an outwardly bulge in the rolled seam effective to additionally facilitate cutting of the outerwall through the space provided by said gasket, said fiber gasket also extending between the bent-back portion of the body flange and the inner face of the outer wall of the double seani.

FRANK J. OBRIEN.- 

